The Canyon is 277 miles long from east to west, 18 miles wide from north to south and one mile deep. Getting down that one mile is not the hard part, it's coming back up.

Many many folks do hike up and down and across the 18 miles. It takes planning and preparation. There are even a number of campgrounds and even a dormitory style accommodations in the canyon.

There are numerous trails to reach the floor, but there are 2 from the south, Bright Angel Trail and South Kaibab which are the most popular. We chose to do only about a 4 miles round trip portion of Bright Angel. The hike up was the most steepest and challenging we have done and has really left me with the desire to complete the full trip and stay at Phantom Ranch.

While spending time on the west side, we ran across a couple of volunteers observing a known nesting spit the California Condors, a highly endangered bird. Several flew over head while we were talking with them. The one I included is number 23, an 18 year old male.

On the opposite end of the population spectrum are the elk and deer. They are everywhere including our campground. Even Walker found them intriguing.